We Didn't Burn
by conspirazee
Summary: Time and time again, Annie and Liam find themselves more out of love than in it. Only it takes a lot more difficulty to solve their problems now than ever before. My take on S4 after Liam's accident. Annie/Liam & Annie/Austin.
1. Chapter 1

**I haven't written fanfics in a while because I'm sitting for my A Levels this year, so busy busy busy all the way till December. ): But I needed to write this, because Season 4 has been ridiculously frustrating and I dare say it's the worst season yet. I really hope Season 5 doesn't lose its steam!**

**As much as I was all for Lannie being end game last season, the writers basically made me dislike Liam this time. But I'm not a Caleb/Annie shipper either. I'm an Austin/Annie shipper! So, this story basically revolves around Annie, Liam & Austin. This is assuming that Caleb did not appear in the series. ... And Liam/Silver never happened (*shudders*).**

**Please review, comments are very much appreciated!**

**...**

There was a huge gap in Annie's heart and she'd dare say that gap was growing day by day. It was difficult for one, to endure her supposed vacation with her brother and mother without knowing for sure if Liam was alright, but to come back from Paris a fortnight ago to see him with Vanessa was just unbelievably painful. It was as though Liam had lost all feelings and connections they had with each other so quickly. At times - though the idea itself made her think she was crazy - Annie thought that maybe Liam had suffered from some kind of brain damage or memory lapse from the accident, making him forget everything he had just said and done to Annie before the tragedy. But she knew better; Liam had turned stone cold and he was shutting her out.

To add on to her problems, Bree had repeatedly warned Annie to be careful of the investigations regarding their escorting activities last week. One would think Annie could get a break when she finally acquired the inheritance money. She had stopped seeing Patrick from then on and was letting it all behind her. Though you know they say, the past will haunt you.

In order to cover up their _whoring_ services, Austin had turned himself in instead, saying that he had burned the Kappa house down. Annie felt responsible for everyone's mistrust towards Austin, but from what Bree, Austin and herself saw, there was no other way. In fact, Annie could not see how things could have turned out differently. There was a good reason why Bree burned her own sorority house down - she needed to get rid of evidence lest the police found something that could link the two girls to prostitution. And Austin, well, he was a noble friend. The prank he made with Dixon was nowhere as serious as arson, but yet he was willing to dive and take the bullet for Annie and Bree. She has yet to thank him for that, the Wilson girl thought. She and Bree were being selfish, but Austin did not complain.

Annie was helpless. How was she to fix any of this? As much as Liam said she loved Vanessa, everyone knew it was likely just a hookup. A seemingly long hookup, that is. But it was undeniable that no one liked the idea of his new relationship. No one dared to take sides, but Liam and Annie's friends believed that they were meant for each other instead.

As Annie stared blankly into the distance as she sat by the dipping pool of Naomi's mansion, she recalled the panic and anxiety that engulfed her barely a month ago. The moment Annie and Dixon landed in Paris, her phone went all kinds of crazy with missed calls and text messages from their friends, saying that Liam had been hit in an accident. Annie swore she really did want to take the next flight back home, but the girl was nothing but rational. Instead, the two siblings both agreed that they would just shorten their trip to two weeks, when they had originally planned to be in Paris for almost a month. Still, that didn't seem enough for Liam. It was still clear in her mind like a fresh wound. Liam had told her that night they hooked up, "We have always been there for each other." But Annie felt so alone now. The one person she could count on had turned his back against her.

Nevertheless, just as how she has always been, Annie forced herself to put up a strong front whenever she was among her friends. Thus, when Silver texted her asking if she was heading down to the Offshore relaunch anytime soon, Annie felt like she had no other choice but to get herself ready for the party. Call her optimistic, but she was hoping to feel less bitter about Liam together with Vanessa by perhaps, facing the issue head-on and trying to move on while being at their relaunch. Crazy optimistic.

An hour later, a very reluctant brunette walked into the fully-packed Offshore bar. Annie was glad that the place was crowded. _Less chances of bumping into them_, she thought to herself. The brunette joined her friends in a corner, where Naomi, Dixon and Silver were laughing and generally having a good time. Adrianna came over to offer Annie a bottle of beer, probably knowing that this was not going to be an easy night for her. However, as tempting as it was, the Wilson daughter politely declined. She felt like she was not ready to be enjoying herself just yet. To Annie, numbing her pain was not a solution; she had to endure it even if it would kill her.

Much to Annie's annoyance, barely a few minutes later, Vanessa and Liam stood up on the mini-stage set up for the occasion. "Welcome to the Offshore, everybody! Free drinks for everyone this hour. Enjoy!" Vanessa gleefully announced into the microphone. Liam was standing beside her - _like her arm candy_, Annie couldn't help thinking bitterly to herself - and offering his awkward polite smile. Annie knew he was not one for crowded parties, let alone host them. But then again, a nagging voice inside her head was starting to grow louder; perhaps Vanessa had changed him and Liam liked it now. After all, he was starting to become a huge movie star and and model or whatever other titles Liam had to his name now. Annie could never have done any of that.

With all these thoughts running through her mind, Annie did not realise that she had been staring at the two hosts on stage. Not until her eyes met with Liam's, that is. If anyone else had been paying attention, they could have instantly seen the way Annie's and Liam's facial expressions changed.

"Ah, I'm gonna head outside for some air," Annie said, not really bothering to know if any of her friends heard her. Well, so much for trying to endure the pain. Only one glance and she was going to crash and burn already? Her heart stung, but Annie refused to let her tears fall or they would betray her strong facade.

As for Liam, he did not miss Annie's reaction at all. The moment he glanced to the corner of his bar, he spotted the brunette first. Liam did not know what to feel. Guilty, for trying to move on so quickly by being with Vanessa? Angry, because Annie was nowhere with him following the accident? Or that affection he had for her since more than a year ago? Without a second thought, however, Liam walked off the stage - to Vanessa's surprise, though she hid it really well - and walked out of the bar towards Annie with two beer bottles in his hands. Liam really had no plan and he was never one to approach his problems, but as it has always been, with Annie, just maybe it was worth the trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

The bar suddenly felt so suffocating when Annie realised her eyes had met Liam's. She needed the sea breeze to clear her head and breathe. Annie folded her arms across her chest; not because it was cold, but because she needed to feel more secure in this entirely uncomfortable situation. Leaving the relaunch event now would be cowardly since Annie had arrived barely less than twenty minutes ago. And well, it was her nature to try and brave through whatever situation she could, right?

Annie leaned on a wooden fence just outside the bar, her gaze rather distant towards the dark vastness of the sea. One would assume that the brunette was deep in thought, but it was quite the opposite, surprisingly. Annie did not want to think. Or over-think, more like it. Just in that moment, Annie was trying to convince herself that overanalyzing her situation with Liam would not do any good. He had moved on, and so she would try to do the same.

But since life often worked in ways that were antagonistic to one's wishes, Annie found herself being greeted by none other than Liam Court, who quietly offered her a beer. His face held no particular expression. There was no smile, not even a frown. Somehow though, this was always a more dangerous thing because Annie did not know what to expect. Neither mentioned anything for a long while. For Annie, she could feel the awkwardness between them building so quickly that she almost felt ill. Sick because it was so unlike them to have nothing to say to each other. But for Liam, he was having too much of a mental debate to realise the silence. His heart and mind could not comprehend his feelings, yet his feet had moved towards Annie.

"Uhm, congrats on the relaunch," Annie eventually squeaked, to break the deafening silence that was eating her. In an instant though, she did realise that the only reason they were relaunching the Offshore was because Liam had been in the hospital due to the hit-and-run accident.

"Thanks," Liam replied, a little disoriented as Annie has interrupted his thoughts.

Another moment silence passed over them, much to Annie's annoyance. How could the chemistry between them vanish so easily, so quickly? They used to be able to talk to each other for hours, and even when silence fell upon them, it was nothing but comforting. This, though, was painful. She could not handle the pressure from all this. Her initial idea to not overthink was betraying her, as the gates in her mind opened and all the thoughts she had kept at the back of her mind began to flood it.

"Why can't we work this through, Liam?" Annie eventually asked, her voice slightly higher than usual, as rage and remorse fueled her speech. She turned to face Liam; no more pretending to hold it in. Annie was going to lay it all out on the line. "We have always been able to. With Jasper, Emily. And I thought it'd be the same with Patrick. I still love you, Liam. I always do."

Liam looked at Annie as she began to raise her voice. He noticed how her voice quivered slightly, and tears had started to well at the corners of her eyes. But for once, he did not know what to do, what to say. Say that he loved her too? Liam wasn't so sure if he did, not exactly.

Out of nowhere then, Vanessa appeared by his side. She gave a judging look at Annie but quickly turned back to her boyfriend in case he spotted the vicious expression she wore on her face. With one hand on Liam's shoulder and the other on his face so that he would turn to face the blonde instead, Vanessa cooed, "Why are you here, Liam? Everyone wants you inside. It's your party."

Annie watched, with a sick feeling in her stomach nonetheless, as Liam smiled to Vanessa before she leaned in for what seemed like an unnecessarily torrid kiss.

Vanessa walked back into the bar, but not without giving another snide look at Annie. "Unbelievable," Annie muttered as she turned back to face the sea. Liam was acting like a little boy torn between two scenarios, but eventually gave in to one because he was being bribed.

Liam - who in all honesty, was feeling a little more than confused - did not miss Annie's reaction. Confused, because he really did like Vanessa now, yet he felt like he was cheating on Annie when they kissed.

"Look, you have no right to be mad at Vanessa," Liam began to argue. "We can't work this because despite all the things I did for you, you weren't there for me. I was on my way to you when I found out what your relationship with Patrick was all about, then I got hit by that car. And you,- you weren't around even on the day I got out of the comatose. Vanessa stayed when she had no reason to."

Annie could not believe the words he was saying. Sure, there was some truth to it but her actions were justified, in her opinion.

"I didn't come back because I had just arrived in Paris, Liam! I only found out about the hit-and-run when I was in Europe. I was visiting my mom, whom I had not seen the last couple of months, don't you understand? I called you almost everyday, but you never picked up. Why do you always make it sound like it's my fault?"

In that moment, both of them realised that there were gaps in the arguments they had against each other. This was the first time that Annie heard Liam got involved in the accident because he was on the way to see her. And while Liam knew that Annie was in Paris, he did not know that she had called him everyday, and from the way Annie explained things, he now understood the reason why she didn't fly back from Paris. Unfortunately for both of them, their egos rivalled each other's from time to time. Neither would call truce. Well, maybe Annie did, but it takes two hands to clap.

"You proposed to me not three months ago. Don't tell me you've forgotten all about that," Annie pleaded, while forcing herself not to break down as those memories circled around in her head.

"It's just ... different this time, okay? I'm with Vanessa now," Liam mumbled, as though he could not bear to say it himself, and instantly walked back into the bar before Annie had a chance to say anything else. Part of him felt like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. Liam's problem was that he had no idea what he wanted. He could not choose between Annie and Vanessa. He had loved Annie, fallen in love with her actually. But they hurt each other too much in the past for their relationship to work easily. With Vanessa, she was adventurous, even reckless and Liam enjoyed that about them. It reminded him of the days when he did whatever he wanted without thinking of the consequences; the days before Annie made him ... boring.

Liam's words hung in the air, replaying several times in Annie's head. He had completely dismissed the fact that she had just told him that she loved him. Annie took a big gulp of the beer that was in her hands. Why Liam even walked out to find her, Annie did not know. What was his motive? To remind her again that the reason they were not together was because she had failed to be by his side following the accident?

Annie cursed under her breath. At times, she thought that she was being stupid. Her relationship with Liam had always been complicated and challenging, but for some reason, Annie kept coming back. She could never have enough of him.


	3. Chapter 3

There was no easy way to get over an unreciprocated ... ex-love. Naomi would gladly suggest rebound sex, but Annie knew that once that was over, she'd only feel more ashamed of herself. And who knows if she might blurt out Liam's name instead of the rebound guy since he was the one occupying half her mind almost all the time. Seeing that she was Miss Righteous - well, mostly, with doses of sin once in a while - the Wilson decided that she ought to make better use of her time and mind doing things that could benefit herself or even others. No one else could judge her actions or question her motives - not openly anyway - hence there was nothing to stop Annie from trying to organise a charity event. It wasn't so much of _charity_ actually, since perhaps the very reason Annie felt like doing this was to make herself feel better in hopes of putting her days of being a prostitute in the past.

With a little help from her friends and a rich, spoiled guy named PJ Hillingsbrook - whom Naomi was immediately convinced she was in love with - to sponsor the event, Annie managed to organise a surfing fundraiser for some environmental cause none of her friends ever thought she was passionate about. It was rather unexpected of Annie, but hey, no judgements, right?

There was a tiny catch though; she needed the Offshore for drinks, a place for people to hang out and all that jazz. But she did not want to face Liam. Most of her other plans were more or less set in stone, but to her dismay, Annie knew there was no other way she could put off discussing this with Liam any longer since the event was only a week away.

They had barely crossed paths since the relaunch of the bar two weeks ago. Annie was desperately trying to think less of Liam by occupying herself with all the fundraiser planning. While Liam was trying to get over Annie by well, being with Vanessa, of course. With much reluctance, Annie walked into the very empty Offshore one Friday noon and inhaled sharply upon seeing Liam behind the counter. She did not why his presence evoked such a response from her in the first place; who else was she expecting at the bar? Liam seemed surprised to see Annie as well, but his expression quickly turned into one of mild annoyance.

"Believe me, I do not want to be here," Annie began, upon seeing his reaction. "But I need to ask you a favour. Not that you're in any position to-..."

_Just cut to the chase_, Annie thought to herself. "I'm organising a fundraiser at the beach next weekend. Surfing competition, saving coral reefs, music all day... Do you think you could provide the space for people to hang out, have a drink and stuff like that?"

Liam paused when Annie started talking. He had initially planned on giving her the cold shoulder if she were to mention anything regarding their relationship (or non-relationship) or even Vanessa, but apparently it had absolutely nothing to do with those two issues. His tense shoulders began to relax as Liam thought it through. He figured that it would be terrible of him to reject her request. After all, there was no reason for him to turn her down. He'd have more customers, he'd be supporting a seemingly good cause...

"Umm, yeah, why not?" Liam answered her, with a ghost of a smile on his face. "Dixon did mention something about joining his surf team for some charity. Didn't know it was your event."

With a small polite grin, Annie commented, "Yep, that's the one. I got Dixon to be the DJ towards the evening as well. It's a good thing I've got famous friends and brother. You guys seem like you can help me out."

With little else to say (or both of them having little courage or will to voice their thoughts) and an agreement with Liam, Annie walked out of the bar feeling rather accomplished because firstly, she had managed to settle her logistics at the Offshore and secondly, she had survived a conversation with Liam Court without getting upset. Perhaps they even ended it slightly cordially, if Annie were to push it, in her opinion. And that was a hell of an attainment these days.

A week passed and the fundraiser was in full swing. If anyone forced it out of Annie, she would have to admit that she could not help but watch Liam while he surfed for who knows how long he was out with the rest of other surfers. She hadn't seen him out in the waters for a pretty long time but he still looked pretty damn natural surfing about on the waves.

"How much for your services, sexy?" Annie heard a whisper in her ear which rudely interrupted her thoughts, and felt the presence of another individual standing too close behind her. She was ready to get furious at that reminder of her being an escort - but wait, how did this person know? Turning around with a certain carefulness, Annie was more than just a little surprised to see that it was none other than Austin.

Annie playfully shoved him away and with a faux seething tone, retorted at him. "That's not funny. At all."

"Just curious," he continued, as though Annie was still in on his joke. "I've heard stories going around." Austin held his hands up in mock surrender and stepped back eventually, chuckling at Annie's obvious defense.

Annie dismissed Austin's words. Nevermind what she had gone through; what was Austin doing here? The last time she saw him was a little more than a month ago. "Didn't you-... I thought you turned yourself in," she mumbled slightly, not really wanting others around to pick up on their conversation, yet unable to hide her surprise.

"I did. Don't you worry about _that_," he replied, his tone suddenly slightly sour. Of course Annie would be worried about herself. "But my dad bailed me out. And I've been trying to get out of his bad books this whole time."

Annie mumbled an apology, instinctively looking away because guilt was starting to rise up her throat. Being the magnanimous friend Austin could be at times though, he shrugged off the matter almost instantly, declaring that he wasn't there to pick on Annie. If anything, he was glad that she was trying to do something good to pick herself up - though he had to admit planning a charity event was a little unlike Annie, for some reason. Someone had told him before that Silver was passionate about finding a cure for cancer and it was perfectly understandable since her family had gone through it. But Annie and coral reefs? Didn't quite match up, really.

"I was thinking more feeding dogs at the animal shelter," he pleasantly joked. "But this has surpassed my expectations, Wilson."

Annie scowled at Austin's remark. She enquired the reason why he was still hovering about. It wasn't that she disliked his presence there, it was just a little disconcerting that she had to make small talk and entertain him once in a while, when she had matters to attend to. Austin replied that everyone else seems to be occupied. Dixon and Liam were out in the waters, Adrianna was working at the Offshore - "And she hates my guts because she thinks I'm an arsonist," Austin quipped - hence, to put in his words, "Looks like you're stuck with me for now." If Annie hadn't known better, she would say that he disliked being alone and would much rather be in someone's company. Nevertheless, the Wilson daughter had little to complain about her cowboy friend, since he lent a helping hand occasionally throughout the span of the fundraiser.

As evening drew nearer and Annie found herself no longer bound to anymore responsibilities related to the fundraiser, she agreed to watched Dixon's performance together with Austin. The two friends sat by the beach a distance away from the stage, not really wanting to join the crowd who were standing around enjoying Dixon's performace or trying to get Liam's photograph (she couldn't tell the difference from the excitement of the audience). It was a rather foreign feeling for Annie, spending the day with Austin; she realised that she had never sat down alone with him before, they never really had a very close friendship but she figured that after the many hours of having him quite literally by her side today, they could well be joined at the hip.

Annie and Austin sat through a thoroughly enjoyable performance by Dixon; once in a while either of them would make a small remark till they eventually settled upon a somewhat comfortable silence.

"Thanks for being a good company today, Austin," Annie genuinely credited him, chuckling slightly as their day came to a close. "Didn't think you could survive a whole day without being a pain in the ass, but you're surprisingly bearable."

"Yeah, you're lucky I took pity on you today. Next time you see me, I won't be so nice."

"Hm, I'm sure."

Austin eventually stood up, a grin plastered across his face, as he realised that the beach was starting to clear. "People are leaving, Annie. I think you did fairly decent today with the fundraiser. It was quite a success, this whole event."

Annie helped herself up, nodding in agreement. She was about to thank Austin again for his help today, but was interrupted when he said in a suddenly low voice, "I could help some more, you know. I'll donate to this cause. Just... return the favour in other ways."

"Get out of here," Annie scowled at Austin, before laughing out loud and shoving him away, knowing that he did not mean what he said. At least, she didn't think so.

Although Austin did remind her rather frequently exactly what she wanted to forget this whole time, Annie had to admit that at least he poked fun at her rather tastefully. Somehow, he was more forgiving than Annie was to herself regarding the whole escort thing. He really did help her out, in more ways than Austin knew at the moment. Annie had to admit, she had really taken a different perspective of him, and it comforted her that he seemed to be at ease around her too. But who knows, behind their strengthening bond, perhaps it is because misery does love company.


	4. Chapter 4

**Eep, my updates are irregular, I know. ): But my A Levels are really near, so this fanfic has to take the backseat! ):**

With the success of the fundraiser the previous night lifting Annie's spirit that day, she thought that it was a good opportunity to go out and reward herself for her efforts. No doubt that it was a relatively small event, but with positive feedback from different groups of people and the charity organisation itself, Annie was convinced she was going to be good at doing something meaningful. It seems as though it had been too long ago since she had done anything rewarding.

After much prepping that late morning, Annie left the house hoping to get herself a good cup of coffee and then maybe check in to see if Naomi had any plans for the two of them for a late lunch. Grabbing her bag and carelessly tossing the rest of her belongings into it, the Wilson girl was soon on her way downtown.

"That'll be $5 in total, miss."

As Annie rummaged through her bag, she suddenly realised that half the things in it were nothing familiar at all, apart from the items she had stuffed in earlier. There was a wallet in it, which Annie hurriedly pulled out to look through. She was hoping to find perhaps an identity card, so that the bag could be returned to its rightful owner. What Annie found shocked her - it was not one, but several IDs in it, all with different names but with one similarity: Vanessa's picture.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry, but this is not my purse," Annie apologised repeatedly. "I haven't got any money on me."

She was feeling slightly embarrassed for not being able to pay for her coffee but still, the fury and bewilderment was slowly taking over her instead. Without much hesitation, Annie drove towards the Offshore. She was not exactly sure what her plan was, but there was no way the brunette was going to hide this little scandal from Liam.

As soon as Annie parked the car, she spotted Adrianna just outside the bar. The Wilson girl rushed out of her car to tell her friend about her discovery.

"Come on, Annie. Everyone has a fake ID," Adrianna commented, not really sure if she should take a side.

"Yeah, everyone being high school kids who want to buy alcohol illegally. Come on, she's way older than us, there must be some other reason," Annie defended herself. "She's hiding something and I don't like that."

Adrianna understood where Annie was coming from, but that did not mean that she liked it at all. If Annie was going to continue being so crazy obsessive over Liam like this, she would push him away for good. Much to her dismay, Ade found herself unable to convince Annie to let the matter go, for Annie had marched into the bar herself. Not very surprisingly, Vanessa and Liam were huddled together behind the counter.

"I came to return this," Annie announced, interrupting their embrace a little abruptly. "Your bag, with your wallet and all your fake IDs in it."

Annie was somewhat hoping to find Liam shocked at the number of IDs in Vanessa's wallet when she held it up. And well, he did seem a little surprised. But the reaction he gave afterwards was nothing but cold.

"Wow, Annie. You dug through her wallet?"

Obviously Annie tried to explain herself, with her wanting to know whose bag it belonged to but it seemed that Liam was not impressed at all. Much to her annoyance though, Vanessa tried to ease the tension - at least, that was what it looked like. She was going to play her innocent act again and that really irritated Annie. Vanessa explained of her past in a seemingly tragic manner - how her parents were never around and she spent half the time in bad company, only to realise that she was wasting her time and coming to Beverly Hills had been the best decision yet. Of course, Vanessa did not leave out the part about Liam being the cherry on top and changing her for the better. With her slightly more than convincing manner of telling that story, there was absolutely no way that Liam was going to be on Annie's side now.

"Thanks for returning my bag, Annie. I should probably throw these IDs out someday, come to think of it," Vanessa said, offering a sweet smile that made Annie feel sick in the stomach. "So I guess this other bag right here is yours. We've got good taste in a lot of things, don't we?"

With nothing much left to say and nowhere to hide from the humiliation she had just faced, Annie walked out of Offshore, brushing past even Adrianna, and swore to herself that everything was so ... stupid. Her actions, even Liam and his naivety, Vanessa and her hold on Liam, everything. Annie drove off, not wanting to think any further of what just occurred less than a minute ago and just try to calm herself down, if that was possible.

She was in no mood to call Naomi now because she knew Naomi would have way too many things to say, irregardless of whether she was siding her or not. Annie finally settled on stopping at a cafe to have her brunch, or just to sit down and gather her thoughts. It was pretty obvious that the girl was absorbed in her own thoughts as she chewed on her tuna salad at a slower pace than was considered normal. And the one person who was kind enough to ask her if she was alright turned out to be Austin.

"Hey, Annie. I almost didn't notice you were here," he greeted, taking a seat next to her without an invitation. "You look seriously pissed. Everything okay, Wilson?"

As usual, Annie faked a bright smile to hide all the frustration she was feeling at the moment. She insisted that she was fine, vaguely brushing it off as "Someone's just refusing to believe me. Keeps thinking I'm in the wrong."

Austin needed no further explanation. He knew it was about Liam, and he knew Annie was still feeling bitter about his new relationship with Vanessa.

"Hey, just let it go, okay?" Austin talked Annie through, in a rather gentle tone she had not quite heard before. "It sucks to keep holding on, I should know. You don't fit that whole depressing, alcoholic couch potato look anyway."

Annie grinned at him. Yeah, she remembered how Austin took his break up with Naomi pretty hard. Indeed, he was such a mess. As much as she didn't want to go through the same thing, Annie had to admit that it was much easier said than done. She wasn't sure if she wanted to let Liam go at that moment, but Annie was sure to keep Austin's words in mind. The Wilson girl thanked her friend; he had said the right things, without the unnecessary commentary her girl friends would have given. They indulged in their brunch and casual chatter afterwards, with Austin back to his slightly irritating teases and Annie just playing along to keep herself in a good mood.

Just as Annie was about to leave though, Austin stopped her. If Annie had shared her problems before, it was his turn now.

"Hey, Annie. I know I covered you guys before, but my dad's being a pain in the ass," Austin began, not bothering to speak in a cautious tone. "Get Bree to turn herself in for the arson, please."

This time, Annie could not afford to hide the shock and worry in her face. She knew Bree had actually burned down the sorority house. But at that point, she was tied to Bree as well, with both of them doing prostitution and all.

"But that would bring me down too, Austin," Annie replied, rather shamelessly. She knew she had committed a crime and there were consequences for it, but as selfish as it could be, Annie did not want to be in anymore trouble. Wasn't her guilt enough of a punishment?

"Damn, Annie. I covered for you guys," Austin argued. "I honestly don't want to bring you down, but Bree is a nobody to me. So figure something out. I'm not getting my ass in trouble with my dad for covering someone I don't know."

Austin had little else to say. He really did mean what he said though - not wanting to put Annie in danger of gaining another criminal record but Bree, he didn't quite care. Austin stood up and walked away, before Annie had anything else to argue. Annie pondered about what Austin had said. She knew it was unfair that he was taking the blame for things he did not do. In just a few hours since the start of her day, Annie had gone through such an emotional roller-coaster ride; this was way too much for her to small shoulders to carry.


	5. Chapter 5

The weight of the burden Annie had been carrying was starting to feel way too heavy on her shoulders. She still had trouble letting go of Liam (though honestly there was some progress), the image of Vanessa with her ex-boyfriend constantly flashed through her mind and to top it all off, Austin had just pestered her into getting Bree to confess about the arson she committed a few months ago. Annie was glad though, that despite the hostility she had been showing to her friends, they were still largely understanding of her position and were always willing to sit by her side and offer a listening ear. Even Adrianna, whom Annie had dismissed back at the Offshore 3 days ago when she discovered Vanessa's purse and all of her fake IDs.

Annie dropped by Dixon and Austin's house, knowing that Ade would be in as well. She had called her friend earlier, asking if they could have some time to talk. Adrianna had made plans for dinner with Dixon, but they were definitely willing to squeeze in some time before that.

"I'm so glad you guys are not mad at me," Annie began, the moment Adrianna opened the front door to let her in. "I know I've been saying the wrong things to everyone for who knows how long, but ugh, I don't know what to think anymore."

Annie made herself comfortable on the couch and began releasing her frustration all at once. She was convinced that Vanessa's story about having a bad past was just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone who had been badly hurt by their past and was ready to move on would not keep that many evidences of their old days, right? The Wilson girl was almost sure Vanessa had something bigger to hide - something really serious that left her running around with a new identity each time she moved. Was Vanessa even her real name?

"You may be right, Annie," Dixon began. "But you may be wrong too. And if it's the case that your theory is seriously off, then you'll end up hurt and Liam will think you're crazy."

"Just let it go," Adrianna advised, her words echoing that of Austin's from a few days ago. "Perhaps your epic love with Liam just happens to have a tragic ending and there's no way out."

Annie could not entirely fault whatever Ade and Dixon had said. In fact, she knew they were right to a certain degree. It was just that Annie had trouble grasping the concept of just throwing away her relationship with Liam.

With little else to add on to the conversation, Adrianna and Dixon got up to leave for dinner. They invited Annie along, but the brunette was sensible enough to know that her brother and his girlfriend only did that out of courtesy. Who wanted to bring Miss McBroody along on a date, right?

"I'll leave when I feel like it," Annie told them, with a small laugh. "Have fun, guys."

It did not feel like it was that much long when the front door opened again, but this time, it was Austin who had just returned back home. Needless to say, he was a little surprised to find Annie lying down on the couch, who was almost oblivious to the fact that he had walked in. He greeted her and asked why she was here all alone, seeing that Ade and Dixon were nowhere in sight.

"I came over to talk to them before they went out and I fell asleep afterwards," Annie groaned sheepishly as she sat up and began bundling her hair back up into a ponytail.

Annie talking to Dixon and Adrianna, being all mopey ... Austin pretty much understood the equation. He reached for two bottles of beer from the fridge, a bowl and a box of cereal from the kitchen. Pretty much the exact same things he reached for when he felt pathetic after his breakup with Naomi.

"You're doing this whole depressing thing wrong, Wilson," Austin said, offering Annie the drink.

Annie laughed at his comment. "I promise I'm not ... depressed. In fact, what you guys have said is right. I should walk away. My time with Liam is done."

"Well, then this calls for a celebration."

Annie raised an eyebrow, not exactly sure what Austin meant by that. But she was not one for overanalysing things at the moment, so she took the bottle without another word. Perhaps he was simply glad that Annie was out of her funk.

For Austin though, he really was feeling celebratory that evening. For some reason, he could not help but feel heavy-hearted the last couple of days seeing Annie all conflicted and miserable. It was good to see her in a slightly livelier mood, but even better when she explained the change in her expressions compared to the last few days. Austin could not explain it; he didn't know why he cared so much about what the girl was going through and how she was feeling. He just did.

A few days passed, with Austin occasionally dropping by at Naomi's mansion on the pretext that he wanted to make sure that Annie was not lying to him about being fine, that she was not going to explode from containing all her emotions quietly or do anything stupid to herself.

"I like a good show," he teased Annie, as he helped himself to some soda. Austin leaned against the door of the fridge with a smug look on his face. "So, I'll stick around just in case you might lose it and start throwing plates out the window. That'd be fun to watch."

Annie, of course, insisted that she was feeling good, and she was honestly feeling that way. So there was absolutely no need for him to worry about her sanity. Her positivity even peaked to the extent that she was now willing to come clean about her and Patrick, if it meant getting Bree to confess about the arson. Annie knew consequences had to be paid and she hated knowing that Austin was in rough waters with his dad because of her and Bree. However, Austin was shocked to hear this from Annie and he was not having any of it.

"Hell no," he argued, immediately walking towards her, his voice serious and almost urgent. "Listen, I meant what I said before. I don't want to get you into trouble - just ... Bree, for bringing you into this."

"I don't see how I can get her to confess about the fire without bringing the entire story into the picture. I was in the wrong too, with the whole... escort thing."

"We'll figure it out. But don't even think of doing something stupid like that."

Annie sighed. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this," she apologised after a while, shaking her head. "I didn't know how fast, how bad things could turn out. Why do you insist on protecting me anyway?"

"Because," his voice still quite as urgent as it was, though there was a really slight pause initially. "I'm crazy about you, Wilson. You just don't see that."

Truth be told, Annie was surprised to hear that from Austin. She had never thought that he felt that way about her. All this time, Annie really did think he was just trying to be a friend, though she had to admit it he did pay her a lot more attention than before. It was definitely a nice surprise, however. Because in the midst of her confusion as to whether she was ready to brush her feelings for Liam aside, she had dismissed her chemistry with Austin as well. Annie did not know what those feelings were - like the urge she had to kiss him sometimes whenever he came over to see her - but now that Austin had spelled it out...

Annie pulled herself close to Austin - the closest they had been yet with virtually no distance between them - and pressed her lips to his, rather cautiously and almost hesitantly at first. But Austin needed no other invitation. He instantly wrapped his arm around Annie's small waist and deepened the kiss. Despite the small voice at the back of Annie's mind protesting against this embrace, she found herself unable to let go from Austin. This felt so... good; way better compared to all the emotional turmoil she had been going through the last month or so. Forget about all her inhibitions; Annie had been feeling lonely for a long while and at that moment, she was with a guy who was giving her all his attention.


End file.
